Past National Presidents Rhoda Smolow and Ellen Hershkin recently led 31 women and men from North and South America, plus one Australian, on Hadassah’s second Solidarity Mission to Israel. Hadassah Offices in Israel Executive Director Suzanne Patt Benvenisti and her Jerusalem-based team partnered in streamlining the four-day visit to maximize exposure to speakers of importance on Israel's military, medical and diplomacy fronts.
Mission members got to see for themselves the sites of the October 7 massacre and the Hadassah Medical Organization’s new Gandel Rehabilitation Center, where many wounded IDF combat soldiers and police officers are receiving expert treatment. "Israel is the only country where people visit not only to visit or enjoy happy occasions, but also in times of war. Thank you for coming," said Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum. Her sentiments were echoed by Israelis throughout the trip.
Mission members also met with relatives of hostages, doctors who serve in important frontline positions and senior officials from the Foreign Ministry. At Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, the attendees promoted Hadassah’s campaign to #EndTheSilence on gender-based violence in times of war. They painted their fingernails yellow in honor of the hostages.
Mission participants also spent time packing food supplies and holiday food gifts for those in need, heard firsthand from hospitalized wounded soldiers and met with bereaved families. At Hadassah's Meir Shfeyah Youth Aliyah Village, the attendees shared the mix of sadness and joy at this year's Purim festival with the teenage students, many of whom are in Israel without their parents.
Learn more about traveling to Israel with Hadassah.
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eJewishPhilanthropy Tours New Gandel Rehab Center